page_title: Kathy Brodsky
section_title: My Bent Tree
hierarchical_section_title: Kathy Brodsky / Writing career / Inspiration for Brodsky's writing / My Bent Tree
caption_attribution_description: English: Kathy Brodsky, left, being interviewed by NH Union leader correspondent Kimberly Houghton, before Brodsky's reading at the Nashua soup kitchen and shelter for the children's literacy foundation.
context_page_description: Kathy Brodsky is an American author and poet. She has written eleven books, ten of which are children's books, and one that is a collection of 65 poems reflecting her observations and insights about life. She was the writer-in-residence at the Pierce School in Bennington, New Hampshire, and at the Harold Martin School in Hopkinton, New Hampshire.
  Brodsky is a presenter for the Children's Literacy Foundation and has spoken at writer's conferences around the United States, and she has made guest appearances at libraries and schools across New England. According to the WorldCat global catalog of library collections, Brodsky's works are held by 111 libraries worldwide.
  Some of Brodsky's books have been published in a Braille edition for readers who are blind or visually impaired. One of her titles has been translated into Spanish.
  Brodsky's books have won multiple awards, including two national honors from the Green Book Festival, Book of the Year from Creative Child Magazine, and a top 10 listing from the International Literacy Association and Children's Book Council's Children's Choice Reading List.
context_section_description: A walk in her neighborhood inspired her first children's story, My Bent Tree. She was walking her dog and saw a crooked pine scarred by an old lightning strike. It reminded Brodsky of her own childhood encounter with polio, as well as her many clients' challenges with adversity, yet "reveal great courage, inner strength and joy” by overcoming those challenges. The poem became a reflection upon early life experiences marking us permanently, but also becoming aspects of our lives that help us to grow into who we become.
  In addition to telling the importance of embracing diversity and overcoming hardships, My Bent Tree also concerns issues of environmentalism. The book received an award at the Green Book Festival, which honors "books that contribute to greater understanding, respect for, and positive action on the changing worldwide environment." It has additionally been showcased by the Children's Book Council. The Girl Scouts magazine The Studio featured My Bent Tree in its article discussing how inspiration can come from anywhere. The Girl Scouts magazine also awarded a Brownie Badge to My Bent Tree under the category "My Best Self" for promoting self-esteem awareness.
  My Bent Tree was recorded as a talking book by the Perkins School for the Blind for its students to listen to Brodsky's writing. The Perkins School also published this book in Braille.
  While writing My Bent Tree, Brodsky commissioned artist Cameron Bennett to provide full-color illustrations for the story. The two have since collaborated on all of her picture books. Bennett's illustrations are created with acrylic paint on canvas.
caption: Kathy Brodsky, left, being interviewed by New Hampshire Union Leader correspondent Kimberly Houghton, before Brodsky's reading at the Nashua, NH, Soup Kitchen and Shelter for the Children's Literacy Foundation in August 2017.
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